Tragedy struck in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district early Friday morning when a private bus, operated by Kaveri Travels and en route from Hyderabad to Bengaluru, caught fire near Chinnatekur village. The bus burst into flames around 3 am after colliding with a motorcycle on the highway. The impact caused the motorcycle to get trapped under the bus, igniting the fuel tank and leading to an immediate explosion and rapid fire. Many passengers were asleep when the incident occurred, leaving them with little time to escape. Out of the 41 passengers on board, 21 were rescued, while 20 tragically lost their lives. The district collector confirmed that the bodies of 11 victims have been identified, and efforts are underway to identify the remaining. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his deep sorrow over the incident, announcing an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the kin of each deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured. President Droupadi Murmu also conveyed her heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.
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